October 1, 2012
Madison Square Park Announces New Art Installation: BUCKYBALL
Mad. Sq. Art in Madison Square Park will be showcasing a new installation starting on October 25th. They have commissioned a new piece from Leo Villareal. This sculpture will be called BUCKYBALL and is another example of NoMad becoming ubiquitous with public art in New York.
Leo Villareal’s BUCKYBALL will explore mathematical and geometrical relationships and concepts. The sculpture will be 30 feet tall and feature 180 LED tubes. They will be arranged in hexagonal and pentagonal patterns in a manner known as “Fullerene.” This is influenced by Buckminster Fuller.
About his new work, Villareal said, “I am thrilled to be presenting BUCKYBALL in Madison Square Park. My new light sculpture takes the form of a Carbon 60 molecule and expands it to monumental scale. It also explores self-similarity through the use of two identical nested spheres, the outer at 20 feet in diameter and the inner at 10 feet. Lined with LED tubes, these structures are activated through sequenced light driven by custom software.”
NoMad has become a hotbed for public art in New York. Leo Villareal’s BUCKYBALL will follow Jamie Plensa’s Echo and Charles Long’s Pet Sounds in the tradition of great public art in Madison Square Park.
The piece will be showing through February 2013. Hats off to curator Adam D. Glick. We can’t wait to see Leo Villareal’s BUCKYBALL in NoMad!